By Richard Skipper***Diana Templeton (Diana Spalinski), born August 7, 1933, in Mount Vernon, New York, passed away on Tuesday, December 2, 2025, after a long and devoted career in show business. The daughter of Edward Peltz (1908–1961) and Ethel Fay Peltz (1910–1974), Templeton grew up with a love of music, dance and performance that would define her life. Over the years, her work encompassed television, radio, nightclubs, country clubs, cultural centers, retirement communities and libraries, where she brought warmth, wit andartistry to every stage she graced.
In 1978, Templeton began a remarkable twenty-seven-year chapter in the New York cabaret world, performing in many of Manhattan’s leading rooms, including The Russian Tea Room, The Firebird Café, Judy’s Supper Club, Danny’s Sk
ylight Room, and the Hideaway Room at Helen’s. She recorded ten CDs, each reflecting her musical intelligence and emotional honesty. Shhe also created and served as Artistic Director of “Broadway In The Bronx,” a variety show featuring top-notch cabaret artists. Through this work, she not only supported fellow performers but also expressed her deep commitment to her church and community, often centering performances around Redeemer Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Bronx, a spiritual home that meant a great deal to her. Her talent was recognized and honored by the Manhattan Association of Cabarets when she received the 2006 MAC Award for Best Female Vocalist.
Beyond her singing career, Templeton taught tap dancing for eight years and, in 1979, choreographed the Off-Broadway show “Stardust” at The Carter Theatre in New York City. Her love of movement, timing and musical phrasing informed everything she did, whether on stage or in the rehearsal room. Templeton entertained and shared her gifts well into her later years, performing until the COVID-19 pandemic brought live performance to a halt.
Templeton married twice: first to Bill McGraham, and then, in 1971, to Walter Spalinski, a New York policeman, who predeceased her in 2003. Templeton was also predeceased by her beloved son, Mark, who died in January of this year. She leaves behind a wide chosen family of colleagues, fellow parishioners and friends who cherished her kindness, loyalty and humor.
A Celebration of Her Body of Worth is planned for early 2026. For more information, please reach out to Richard@RichardSkipper.com. An in-memory-of gift can be made to Redeemer Evangelical Lutheran Church, 4360 Rev. Theodore Wittrock Crossing (Boyd Ave), Bronx, NY 10466, (718) 324-1288.
NYC NY 10032
